Algebraic Thinking: We extended our evaluative and convergent thinking by creating algebraic equations from word problems. It's not easy at the start, but it gets better once you see how it works. Setting it up was the hard part, not solving the equations!

Focus Study-Law: We enjoyed hearing from a guest speaker, Mr. Bonds, an attorney for Coca-Cola. He told the group about becoming an attorney, what types of work attorneys do, and what in-house counsel means. He shared many interesting stories, little known facts, and answered some great questions from the students about legal matters, Coca-Cola, and being a lawyer. The kids were totally engrossed!

Reading/Communication: We had a HUGE treat, a presentation by Carmen Deedy--author of many books including The Library Dragon. She shared some chapters from books she's currently writing. The kids couldn't wait to hear more! She talked about being an author, and about writing. Mrs. Deedy also told an wonderful story about how she got "hooked" on reading! The kids were hanging on EVERY word!

Novel Study: We managed to squeeze in a few minutes of our novel, Theodore Boone. After hearing the opening statements from each lawyer, the students are split on whether the accused person is guilty or not. Their opinions mirror the opinions of the students in the book. It will be interesting to see which kids figure it out first--the students in the book or our kids. Stay tuned!!!

Our trip to the Georgia State Bar Association was wonderful! The children enjoyed an interactive discussion where they learned about Freedom of Speech. Their participation was good, including many well-reasoned responses and evaluative questions.

Following the discussion, the children had lunch. Some of them were also preparing for their roles in the mock trial, "Curly Pig vs. Big Bad Wolf."

The mock trial was filled with interesting facts, humorous incidents, and a few surprises! The children who participated as witnesses or litigants were animated, creative, and highly dramatic in their roles. The other children took their roles as jurors very seriously while listening to the testimony and in their deliberations to reach a verdict. Interestingly enough, One jury found for Curly Pig, one for Big Bad Wolf, and two juries couldn't reach a unanimous decision. That is pretty surprising, since all jurors heard the same testimony!

HW; "Thank You Letter" to the wonderful folks at the Georgia Bar Association-Write two thank you letters – one to Ms. Craytor, Ms. Wilson, and Ms. Jenkins combined for the excellent experience, and the second to the parent to whom you were assigned. (Mrs. Wideman, Mr. West, or Ms. Tai ). The return address for your “proper” thank you letter is …State Bar of Georgia104 Marietta Street, NW, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30303-2743